Thompson says No Child Left Behind not working

[Guest monkeypants99]

I can't help but wonder if any of you actually have kids in the public school system based on some of your comments. I have four kids in school right now and I have a different perspective.

The problem isn't NCLB...No matter what, schools are gonna have tests that examine a childs proficiency in their current grade. All NCLB does is hold schools accountable. And therein lies the problem...teachers HATE being held accountable for students that don't make the grade.

I think teachers spend TOO MUCH time trying to teach kids 'ethics' and 'standards' rather than teaching them reading and math. My kids school participates in PEACEBUILDERS and I get a weekly report on my kids as "peacebuilders." I think there is a fundamental flaw in the school system when I get a weekly report on "peacebuilders" and a quarterly report on grades. Maybe if teachers spent less time teaching their ideologies and standards to students, and spent more time teaching fundamental school subjects they wouldn't feel as though they are merely "teaching for the test."

I am also not interested in a teachers ability to "teach outside the box" or reach higher levels of cognition. Thats usually about the time when my kids come home talking about Hindu bindy's, and saving the earth. I find it completely odd that somehow teachers feel so handcuffed by NCLB and yet my kids come home all the time with some left-wing liberal ideology that their teacher found a spare moment to preach about. For people so concerned about 'teaching to the test' they sure do find alot of time to insert their own ideologies that have NOTHING to do with the test.

It is NOT my intent to demonize all teachers. However, as a parent with children in school right now I sometimes feel like NCLB is the ONLY THING keeping teachers on track at all because it holds them, and the school they teach at, accountable for what kids are learning.

[Guest monkeypants99]

Axxman, thanks for the honest perspective. If there is anything more dependable than the "Anything proposed by Bush-bad, ugh, bad!" mentality of many of today's teachers, it's the even longer held mantra of "Accountability? Me? A teacher? Never!".

I used to wonder where all those evaluations went to that I filled out for my teachers and college instructors. After working in higher ed for several years now, I know where they go. The trashcan or shredder.

A career in education and/or governtment job has become a safe haven for many people who would like to avoid being scrutinized under the standards of measurement used by most all other professions.

The value of 'thinking outside the box' has always been overestimated by those who so clearly have never been able to master thinking inside of it. Imagine if this same flighty bit of rational was applied to evaluating the progress of children learning their multiplication tables. A child would no longer be overburdened with coming to the conclusion of 25 when asked the answer to 5 times 5. A picture done in fingerpaints on the classroom wall of a sad giraffe who lost his favorite, blue turtleneck would probably suffice.

[damo1]

from damo1

hear in australia we have the same thing i have friends who are teachers and one close friend who just finished studying at uni and is only 25yrs and most say that they are over worked lack of respect for the long hours they put in and some kids do not want to learn at all

my son goes to a public school and the teachers there are good as they are making sure kids like my son get a chance and are going back to basics wear maths english and spelling is taught as know the goverment has seen wear teachers them selves that teach in schools do not even no how to spell and it puzzles me to how these teachers are able to get into the education sytem my friend bruce told me hear that each year the new teachers that went threw uni are getting tested on what they learnt and are teaching them selves to the point of wear they are being graded for ther knowlege as hear a lot of kids go threw the education system and come out not knowing the basics of spelling maths and even reading

many kids in lower classes special needs or behavior problems are left to fend for them selves ther are teachers looking after these kids but nothing seems to intrest these kids

i remember Bob Hawke sayin this same thing hear in australia when he was our prime minister

the teachers i know are very educated and caring people and i have seen what they have to put up with when teaching a class of 30 or 25 kids even lack of authority is a big concern as my friend says they have to put up with the abuse the students dish out to them to wear almost you can not do like it was when i was in school wear if you stepped out of line you wear puled up you showd respect to the teachers as you showed respect to your parents or grandparents

hear in australia ther is a big demand for teachers yet not many want to teach because of what is mentioned in this article and to what others have also posted hear

in one school alone hear wear i was cleanning sevral just did not want to sit in class and learn and i found when i gave them something to do they did it as most just find some of the subjects borring

i worked while i was going threw school yet i had to give up my education due to things going on at home as i can see how important it is for my self

from damo1

[followerofjesus]

Most people are saying its not working or they don't like it without giving any real reason. It does work and holds teachers and students accountable, otherwise you have kids graduating high school who don't know how to read. It measures math ,reading ,and writing. The basic fundamental courses. The kids who fail it are severely undereducated or don't speak English. Give one reason why its not working, so far there hasn't been one given.

[nebula]

Most people are saying its not working or they don't like it without giving any real reason. It does work and holds teachers and students accountable, otherwise you have kids graduating high school who don't know how to read. It measures math ,reading ,and writing. The basic fundamental courses. The kids who fail it are severely undereducated or don't speak English. Give one reason why its not working, so far there hasn't been one given.

Did you read what I wrote here?

[kat8585]

Most people are saying its not working or they don't like it without giving any real reason. It does work and holds teachers and students accountable, otherwise you have kids graduating high school who don't know how to read. It measures math ,reading ,and writing. The basic fundamental courses. The kids who fail it are severely undereducated or don't speak English. Give one reason why its not working, so far there hasn't been one given.

Why aren't they speaking English? Why isn't that part of the law? It should be the law that English be the official language, and everyone who wants to live here has to learn to speak it. If they fail for that reason, Oh well.

[Scarletprayers]

Most people are saying its not working or they don't like it without giving any real reason. It does work and holds teachers and students accountable, otherwise you have kids graduating high school who don't know how to read. It measures math ,reading ,and writing. The basic fundamental courses. The kids who fail it are severely undereducated or don't speak English. Give one reason why its not working, so far there hasn't been one given.

We still have kids graduating that can't read, write or do math. I would love to introduce you to my son, he kept getting passed instead of helped, why...........cause he would mess up their numbers if they failed him. SOME kids need to fail a grade.......but ohhh no, you can't have that, it might hurt their self esteem. This system treats ALL children the same, and hello, they aren't. Just like grown ups they came in all flavors, book smart, book dumb, those that struggle with certain things and those that breeze through it without ever opening a book. The No Child Left Behind, causes the smart kids to loose interest and become bored, the mediocre kids to do the bare minimum and not stretch themselves and the ones that aren't so smart to look like they are doing good. It ties good teachers hands so they can't help those that actually want to be in school, it makes mediocre teachers look like they are doing a good job, and it makes the bad teachers, lazy. Its a dumbing down of our educational system, clear across the board.

[Marnie]

Yeah, SP, you're right. Once again, I think the intentions are good, but the results show otherwise. Teachers are teaching the kids to pass the tests. That is NOT how kids learn. The kids entering college these days should be prepared to learn, not to be taught, but the first year of college is more like the last year of high school, where the kids have to be taught basic things like writing and research; things they should have learned in HS. Ridiculous. Kids deserve so much more.

[nebula]

The kids entering college these days should be prepared to learn, not to be taught, but the first year of college is more like the last year of high school, where the kids have to be taught basic things like writing and research; things they should have learned in HS.

I'm still having to deal with these problem in the second and third semester college students. If I don't tell them what is in the Lab Manual instructions, they have no clue what is in there. You should see the Lab Reports I have to grade. *add faint smilie*

[followerofjesus]

There wasn't really any good reasons there sorry. It weeds out the under achievers without giving a free pass. There are schools set up for advanced students. The kids who choose to go there and eligible go. Some kids prefer to stay in the frey.